Hayward: Two dead, two injured in shooting outside hookah lounge

The Mission Boulevard hookah lounge has been the scene of numerous disturbances over the past two years and cited for selling alcohol without proper licensing, sheriff's officials say.

HAYWARD – An overnight shooting outside a hookah lounge on Mission Boulevard left two people dead, two injured and prompted police to close a portion of the thoroughfare Saturday as they investigated.

The Alameda County Sheriff’s Office said officers responded to a report at about 1:38 a.m. of a shooting with multiple victims outside the hookah lounge in the 21200 block of Mission Boulevard. The establishment at that location is the Asli Hookah Lounge & Smoke Shop. The sheriff’s office said the lounge has been the scene of numerous disturbances over the past two years involving intoxicated patrons.

When deputies arrived early Saturday morning, they initially found one unresponsive person in front of the lounge, surrounded by multiple shell casings, the sheriff’s office press release said. That person was pronounced dead at the scene.

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— Alameda County Sheriff (@ACSOSheriffs) April 22, 2023

The sheriff’s office soon began to receive reports from two local hospitals, saying that three people with gunshot wounds had been brought into their emergency rooms. One was pronounced dead, while the other two were being treated for injuries.

While the motive isn’t entirely clear, the sheriff’s office said the shooting followed a dispute, was “targeted” and doesn’t doesn’t constitute a safety concern for the general public.

The sheriff’s office also said disturbances at the lounge have necessitated a response by its Crime Prevention and Reduction units and prompted Alameda County code enforcement and zoning officials to cite the owner for safety violations and for selling tobacco and alcohol without proper permits and licensing.

With investigators on scene, the sheriff’s department closed a portion of Mission Boulevard between Cherry Way and Grove Way. Motorists were asked to take a detour on Montgomery Avenue. Mission Boulevard remained closed as of early Saturday afternoon.